Paul Lambert has ruled himself out of the running for the Celtic job - insisting he doesn’t want to tarnish his reputation with the Hoops support.
The former Hoops midfielder is currently manager at Ipswich Town and has been touted as an outsider to replace his former team mate Neil Lennon.
But Lambert says he’s not interested in any romantic return to Celtic - and warned whoever does replace Lennon there’ll be no honeymoon period in Paradise.
"I played for eight years, but I left the Glasgow scene a long time ago,” he told Sky Sports News.
"That's not my life anymore. I don't want to tarnish the good feelings I have with the Celtic fans.
“We won a hell of a lot, stopping Rangers winning Ten In A Row in 1998. That was an incredible achievement.
"Maybe I'll go back as a fan, that's all I can say."
Lambert also warned incoming chief executive Dominic McKay - who will take over from Peter Lawwell in July - that he has to hit the ground running just like any new boss.
Lambert said: “You have to realise, if you finish second, you fail. The new chief executive needs to look at the bigger picture.
“You have to get trophies back and get the pendulum swinging back your way.
"Nine years of dominance - they have to get that back. If he thinks he will get one or two years of grace, he won't get it. And rightly so, he shouldn't get it.
"It doesn't matter who the next Celtic manager is.
"Whether it's a foreign manager or a British guy, you're hoping whoever goes in there understands how to win every week.
“Not to finish second. Not to be runners-up in cup finals.
"The criticism would come heavily, and so it should.
"It's a worldwide club. It's not a small club where you might get away with losing three and drawing two. You have to win every single week. That's on whoever comes in."
